When You Call
by iluvaqt
Summary: AU Flash S1E12. Reality has forced her to distance herself from Oliver. She can't reconcile her dreams with the man who returned. Finding a rock to hide under again, a certain speedster won't let her stew alone.
1. Chapter 1

Totally AU Arrow and Flash, After Arrow Season 3 Ep 12.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story. Just playing in theCW sandbox for fun. All characters belong to their respective creators. Please don't repost or archive.

* * *

"Hey, Felicity. Sorry I haven't called in awhile. Things have been crazy around here and I promised I'd be better at keeping in touch since I don't have the coma excuse anymore but..." He seemed to pick up on her silence, which was very unFelicity. "Where are you?"

Felicity let the phone fall from her fingers onto the couch. She didn't have the nerve to hang up on him but she couldn't summon the energy to make conversation either. She was over her anger that Oliver has stirred in her, now she just felt numb. And tired, so tired.

"I'm coming over."

Her heart skipped a beat but before she could protest, the called had ended. She hastily wiped her face, which she knew was streaked with makeup. A once made her take note that she hadn't even taken her coat off. She was sitting in the same clothes she'd worn in the van while sweating profusely, fearing for everyone's safety with her hand on the keys, ever at the ready to gun the engine. Some part of her was still shivering from the adrenaline high.

The knock at the door startled her out of her trance.

"Felicity," he called.

"It's open," she said quietly and as he opened the door, she wondered how he'd even heard her properly.

"You keep it open?"

Felicity shrugged. "All the thugs joined forces and holed up in The Glades until tonight."

Barry gave her a sheepish look and scratched the back of his neck. "I just saw that. Actually Eddie mentioned something about aldermen held hostage a few days ago but I've been..."

"Busy, you said that," Felicity interjected, in a tone harder than she intended. At Barry's taken aback, slack-jawed expression she felt her eyes burn.

Barry crouched next to her and touched her knee. "Felicity, you know you can tell me anything right? Talk to me? Why are you sitting alone in the dark when it looks like the Arrow has returned after been missing in action for a couple weeks. Did something happen to Oliver?"

Felicity hunched forward and put her face in her hands, knowing she wouldn't be able to stop the tears once she started talking.

"Oliver left to do a death duel for Thea's safety. He lost. They told us he was dead. Part of me never believed it but it was hard to argue against the evidence and the fact that he didn't come back and didn't make contact... I sort of gave up the hero business for a bit. Buried myself in tech, something that's really easy for me to do... but he came back and I thought... Before he left he said he loved me," she broke at that. And Barry was on the couch next to her in a heartbeat and she felt his hand on her back, a warm comforting weight rubbing in a consoling manner. She looked across at him with watery eyes. "I thought I was finally letting go. The whole Cupid-stalker business drove it home but then before he left he says he loves me and I... Stupid fantasies got the best of me," she sniffed and smiled a self depreciating smile. "Pretty pathetic don't you think?"

Barry gave an uncomfortable laugh. "You know who you're talking to right? I'm the one who spent most of his life pining for his best friend without telling her anything."

Felicity shifted to face him better and gave him a searching look. "I went to visit you, Barry because I needed someone who would see me. I knew you cared before the accident happened and I wanted to see if... I just wanted to feel like the it girl one more time. I hadn't had someone make me feel like that since college. That I wasn't just the nerdy wallflower that had more brains than charms and absolutely no filter. To be honest I think I pretty much threw myself at you, it was shameless now that I think about it. But once I saw Iris, I knew I had no chance. Love trumps, a flare attraction every time." She put her hand over her face again, wishing she could stop the roiling tide of embarrassment, hurt and disappointment inside.

Barry took her hand tentatively. "Do you remember when I asked you if you liked Oliver?"

Felicity peeked at him and nodded knowing where he was going with this but letting him talk anyway.

"No one wants to be anyone's second choice. Stand in. Rebound or whatever."

She took in a shaky breath and met his eyes properly. "You couldn't be anyone's second choice, Barry," she said adamantly.

Barry gave her a half smile. "I know you care, Felicity. Whatever he's done this time, you'll work through it. You said it yourself you guys are a team..."

"There's no working through this, Barry," she said her voice growing icy again. "This wasn't a team decision. This was Oliver's choice and he gets to live with the consequences of that. I can understand his logic but I can't forgive or accept his choice. And I won't be a woman he professes to love. I can't be. I can't be with someone who can turn emotions off so easily. I thought I knew him, and I know they say love is blind but I'm not blind anymore because I can see what his past has done to him and no matter how hard and how long he fights against it, he can't escape. I can't let him take me there. Am I selfish for wanting to live outside the darkness? Am I selfish for wanting someone who will cry, rage, love and not stop feeling because things might get messy? Who will love me and not leave."

Barry shook his head. "Oliver said people like us don't get to be with the ones we love but I don't believe that. Oliver is the only one standing in his way. Give him time, he'll come around."

He looked at her so earnestly, his eyes gentle, hopeful, caring. Felicity put her hand on his chest and kissed him. She remembered what it was like to feel those lips. They were soft and he tasted of cinnamon. It was sweet connection, and for a moment a brief spark of something intense had passed between them. It made her feel brave, beautiful and alive. She wanted that. The feelings he stirred hadn't changed. It took a heartbeat but he returned her kiss before he dragged himself away.

His eyes opened from drifting shut against during their kiss. "Felicity," he breathed softly, his tone uneven and hesitant. "I can't let you do this to us, to Oliver."

Her face fell and she turned away, her eyes growing wet again. He took her arms and pulled her closer, hugging her to his chest and tucking her close, his cheek against her hair, her earrings tickling his neck. "He loves you," he said resolutely against her hair. "He might have a really repressed way of showing it, but I know he does. I've seen how he watches you when he thinks no ones looking and trust me, time moves really slow for me if I want it to."

He managed to get her a small genuine smile at that, he could feel it against his skin and the way she shook with a repressed laugh.

"Oliver doesn't use words idly," he continued. "He means everything he says. I learnt that lesson when he shot me. Lesson 1, take everything Oliver says seriously. You'll live longer."

Felicity snorted back a laugh. She pulled away a little so she could see his face. "I'm really sorry about that, by the way. I honestly thought he was joking."

Barry grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "It's okay. I heal fast remember. Didn't even scar."

Felicity thought about Oliver's method in training Barry and frowned. It seemed a lot harsher than what he did with Roy but then for their youngest team member it had been lessons in control first, not awareness and instincts. And maybe Oliver had been wary of Roy. His strength and rage had been deadly. Barry had this uncorrupted aura about him. His wholesomeness was his best quality, after his brains. He was pretty cute too, in the nice guy, adorable nerd way. Totally her type. She wondered if Oliver had been extra hard on him because of that. She let her hand fall away from his chest.

"Is this you letting me down gently?" she asked.

Barry gave her an under the lashes, please don't be upset, puppy dog look. "This is me saying I think you need time to process. Space might do you some good." His eyes brightened suddenly. "Do you think Ray Palmer would go for you picking the brains of one of the world's leading scientists? You could make it a work thing. Ask him to for a consult.. What are you working on at the moment?"

Felicity launched out of his arms and started pacing with nervous energy. She knew there was no way she could stand being anywhere Malcolm Merlyn might be. "I think that's a brilliant idea. I mean not Dr. Wells because I don't know him well enough... Well," she twitched a smirk, "but Cisco definitely. Barry, you won't mind me crashing in on your friends?"

Barry smiled at her sudden enthusiasm. "They're your friends too. If we're counting, you've actually known them longer than I have."

Felicity put her hands on her hips and tilted her head in thought. "You're right. I did grill your Florence Nightingales on a bi-weekly basis, sometimes more often than that. We used to text and Skype a lot, I think Cisco might have a hoarding problem, I've seen his apartment, or what's in his apartment. I can't actually say I saw any walls at all. And Caitlyn really doesn't get out much, this time around were definitely doing a girls night... Digressing, so you wouldn't happen to have an extra room or a couch in that shoebox of an apartment would you?"

Barry rubbed his legs distractedly and gave her a sheepish look. "Actually, since Iris moved out, Joe offered for me to move back in. He had the room and it saves me rent. And shoebox is actually one up from fire trap which is what everyone else called it. I wouldn't want you sleeping anywhere in there. We wouldn't have fit on the single..." His eyes widened, "Not that I would have, that we would have...honestly, I never really thought that far ahead."

Felicity narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't know whether to be impressed that you're that much of a gentleman or offended that you never even looked at me that way."

Barry blushed and gave her a gobsmacked stare, his eyebrows hiking to a dangerously high level. "I burned your shirt. I couldn't really not think about you like that. I'm pretty sure Cisco did too."

Felicity batted his arm and he blinked, his mouth working but nothing came out but a flustered stammer.

"Easy Barry, I don't want to break you yet. So what fabrics are safe for Flash-travel?"

Barry blushed again. "Woollens, denim and sweats have done okay so far. Synthetics are well... That happened," he said with a wave at her torso.

Felicity belted her coat tighter. "I'll text Ray and then pack a bag." She tapped out a quick message and then set the phone down. She marched toward her bedroom leaving Barry alone on the couch.

He stared after her. "You want to go now?" he called out.

She came back into the hallway and looked at him, her shoulders slumping. "You're right. I was tired, like haven't slept properly in days tired and I need a bath, I smell. Thanks for not mentioning it by the way."

Barry shook his head, wide eyed. "You smelled great. I mean you smelt nice...Super sniffing is not one of my hidden talents."

Felicity unbelted her coat and paused while letting it fall from her shoulders when she noticed Barry had suddenly gotten very still and his eyes seemed to be trained South of her face. She twitched a small smile and let the coat fall to the floor. She kicked off her heels and reached up to let her hair down.

"Barry?"

Her soft entreaty startled him out of his trance and he gave her a flighty, nervous look. "Yeah? I mean, yes, Felicity?"

"I need a hand with my dress."

She watched his throat work and almost felt bad for torturing him. She could manage it fine on her own. She had gotten into it herself after all. But she liked the way his eyes were following her. How his stare was heating her from head to toe when before despite being angry, she'd been so cold inside that she couldn't get warm, no matter how rugged up she stayed.

Barry shook himself and stood up quickly, rounding the couch and with twitchy, flighty fingers, brushed the hair away from her back. His fingers brushed her neck and a spark jumped between them.

Felicity shivered under his touch and it certainly wasn't from the cold. His hands were warm and his fingers had barely brushed her neck but even after he'd removed them she could still feel them against her skin.

Barry found the zipper and slowly tugged it down. He wanted to be courteous and not look but he couldn't bring himself to turn away. His gaze was locked into the ever widening window of pale skin the parted material was revealing. He had it all the way down before he realized he was staring at her totally naked back. She wasn't wearing a bra.

His brain tracked back to the night he saw her underwear. And the comment she'd made about being relieved she hadn't opted to go bra-less. That comment coupled with the fact that he saw in vivid detail, now totally seared into his brain, how perfectly shaped her breast were and the fact that she had completely freckle-free creamy skin. It was pin-up material worthy skin and he'd been flashed. He couldn't unsee what he'd seen and her comment had just added another dimension to already x-rated Fantasy material about a girl he'd recently categorically labeled as look but never touch.

Felicity was the day to Iris' night. In appearance and personality they couldn't be more opposite. Felicity was right when she said opposites attract, it's what had captivated him about Iris for so many years, but seeing her with Eddie and finally confessing his feelings he was beginning to understand that maybe they were too different. They would always love each other but romantically they probably wouldn't have worked out. They liked different things, they thought on completely opposite wavelengths. She thought his comics were cute but to him they were priceless. She was never into science at all and would actually moan about the torture of having to even look at a periodic table.

He didn't even realize that she'd turned around until he felt her hands run up his torso from his weirdly oversensitive navel to his chest.

"You sure you don't want to just let go? Just live in the moment, not think?" She leaned up and kissed his Adam's apple gently. Barely making contact really. It was more the air from her lips and her warmth that ghosted over his skin.

Barry put his hands on her wrists, gently taking her arms from around his shoulders. "You're not making this easy. I'm hard, it's hard... " he grimaced and felt like smacking his head against something. He looked at her and felt her eyes trap his in a heated gaze. "Felicity, you're beautiful and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want you to be with you but I feel like I'd be betraying some brotherhood code or something."

Felicity narrowed her eyes at him. She shucked out of her dress and marched away from him to the bathroom in only her black panties, garter belt and stockings.

Barry grabbed his hair and glared at the ceiling. "Oh come on," he growled pitifully.

She wanted to get him killed that was the only explanation for this. Oliver had no issues using him as target practice. He was probably sharpening some right now. If he knew what Barry had just seen, he'd probably try out new arrow heads just for kicks. Maybe a mini grenade or the electro-shock, or maybe even the diamond head for extra precise penetration. Penetration. Now there was a word he definitely didn't need to be bringing up. Downstairs had snapped to attention the second Felicity had given him the come hither look and started her slow strip down. It hadn't settled yet and as Barry shifted uncomfortably, he wondered if it would, considering he could hear Felicity running her bath.

It would be much safer for him to run home and come back in the morning. But he didn't think she was in a good place to be left alone right now. She had been in a pretty emotional state. Then again he didn't trust himself to offer the right kind of support right now.

Her phone buzzed on the table and he saw who was calling. He glanced at the closed bathroom door and decided he wasn't as brave as people believed him to be. It didn't matter who he decided to be Oliver or the Arrow, both could successfully intimidate the hell out of him.

::: ::: :::

Felicity got out of the bath and towelled down her hair. She wrapped a fresh towel around herself and opened the door. She was slightly disappointed not to see Barry but she figured he might be in the kitchen. Her stomach really dropped when she didn't find him there and couldn't hear him anywhere in the house.

Her phone kept beeping with a waiting message. And she felt her heckles rise when she noticed whose name was on her screen.

She turned off the phone and picked up the house phone. She didn't want to read the message. She dialled a number by heart and waited for it to ring. It startled her when she heard a ringtone outside her kitchen window.

Felicity hung up and shoved open the window, poking her head out. Momentarily regretting her haste when the cool night air attacked her warm damp skin. "I thought you left," she said softly accusing.

Barry looked back at her from where he sat on her front porch and gave her a awkward smile. "I almost did. But then I realized that whatever might be going on beneath the surface doesn't matter. I'm not going to run out on a friend who needs me. I won't be that guy. I'm staying, Felicity. I promised to be there for you. You need me and I'm here."

Felicity gave him a grateful look but feeling pitiful that she knew she was putting out an extremely needy vibe that Barry felt compelled to stay even against his sense of self preservation.

"Then come back inside. I'm still tired and I don't know how your metabolism works but you've got to get tired with all the energy you burn. I have a queen and I promise not hog the covers."

Barry tried not the flinch when she said queen but he knew she noticed because she had reacted too.

She had changed into a simple pair of sleep pants and a tank top when he came back in and he followed her to the bedroom. He took off his pullover and toed out of his shoes before climbing in next to her.

She reached over and switched off the lamp before snuggling up to him. "Barry," she said softly.

"Um hmm," he answered against the top of her head.

"Lose the pants. Your buckle keeps poking me," she said sleepily.

Barry froze. There was still an inch between them even those she was cuddled into his chest. He was mortified to conclude that it definitely was not his buckle she had felt. Easing out of her arms, he debated complying with her request due to the extra protection against true mortification it offered but then just shook his head and did as he was told.

She already knew he was attracted to her and he hadn't fallen asleep fully clothed since he was about twelve years old. It was uncomfortable then and he was sure that hadn't changed. He the dark jeans over the end of the bed along with the rest of his clothes and climbed back under the covers in his t-shirt and cotton boxers. Even in her sleep, Felicity snuggled back up to him and he smiled as she murmured his name softly.

At least she knew who was next to her. He wasn't sure how he would have handled her saying someone else's name while in his arms.

::: ::: :::

When she didn't reply, Oliver rode his bike to her place. He hated how they'd left things. The entire time he'd been gone he thought about her, dreamed about her. Sore, tired and weak, he had soldiered home to see her again. To make sure she was safe.

He pulled up outside just as he saw the light go out and his heart twisted in his chest when he saw Barry climb into bed with her. Sure he'd been fully clothed when he did that but the image still cut through him like a dull blade.

He told himself that this was for the best. That this would keep her safer. Barry was fast and he was getting faster all the time. He was also smart enough to keep up with Felicity's random tangents and understood her sense of humour. While he found it sweet and it always made him smile, he didn't always get where she was coming or going with her train of thought.

Oliver rolled the bike away from the view of her house and started it up again. It wouldn't do for either of the house occupants to know that he was there.

He would give her the space she asked for. He would give her the time she wanted. He only hoped that she wouldn't abandon him completely when she opened her heart to someone else. Barry already had the groundwork, they were friends and they'd almost been more. He was the kind of hero Felicity could work with easily. He followed the rules, he didn't kill and he was all about saving people. The good and the bad. Since he'd chosen to train with Merlyn he could see that she wouldn't stand by him as she had in the past. He had discovered her line and crossed it without even realizing it was there.


	2. Chapter 2

What started as a short vacation to clear her head and rediscover her mental happy place, Felicity found herself making a sea change. Ray was supportive of her relocation, eager for her to make use of the brilliant minds that were still searching for work in a saturated competitive job market after a lot of people found themselves redundant after the particle accelerator of S.T.A.R Labs exploded.

For the time being the Applied Sciences division of Palmer Technologies was sharing real estate with a warehousing and distributions site that stockpiled Palmer Steels refined minerals from its recently acquired mines.

So far their neighbours didn't mind the shared space as the office requirements for the distribution centre were small and the large multi-level offices were being leased out anyway. Now Felicity and her super dream team; a mechanical engineer, an electrical engineer, a chemical engineer and biomedical engineer, two physicists and a fresh MIT graduate in computer science were taking two floors to tinker their ideas into reality.

She'd stopped dodging Oliver's messages after the first day but after a brief conversation in which he accepted that she needed time away and, conceded that yes, it would be dreadfully awkward and inconvenient if she decided to accidentally bug Merlyn while he and Oliver trained and left his GPS for the Glades Police Precinct to find, they were in a better place. She was calling it a tentative cease fire and a reboot of their friendship.

John had been remarkably non argumentative about her move too. She shouldn't have been surprised though. John had always been supportive in whatever she decided to do with herself. Whether it was taking Palmer's job offer after Oliver lost the bid to take back Queen Consolidated, regularly commuting to Central when Barry had been in a coma or wanting to train in self defense. He also knew that she would never turn down helping the Team if they needed it, so she wasn't abandoning them, just moving forward with her life. She could never turn away any of her friends. Even if it was at risk of getting fired or landing in police interrogation. John knew she was only ever a phone call away.

"Whatcha doin'?"

Felicity tilted her head while propping the phone against her shoulder. "Right this second? Trying not the mistype code that may or may not cause a robotic unit to blow a car size hole in a wall when we're going for pinpoint accuracy."

Barry paused and then let out a hesitant laugh. "Is this a bad time?"

Felicity chewed on her lower lip, squinted at the screen, rapidly finished typing and then fist pumped the air. "Okay I still do that." She captured the phone just as it was about to clatter to the floor. "No, all done. What's up?"

"Ah, I was sort of hoping you might be free tonight."

Felicity smiled. "As in for a date?" They hung out a lot since she had moved. They'd even met up with Iris and Eddie a few times. Iris always made not so subtle meaningful glances at Barry about Felicity and both of them pretended to be oblivious. But they never made a big deal of hanging out together. Usually she would just swing by S.T.A.R Labs after work to help with Barry's hero work or watch him run the super-treadmill ragged. Or he would drop in on her new apartment for some late night TV or a movie before going home to Joe's.

They were good friends. Hanging out was easy and comfortable. He had even crashed at her place a few times feigning tiredness. She knew he could run home in the blink of an eye and fall into his own bed, but somehow he seemed to like hers better. And honestly, she liked having him there. He made a really nice self heating body pillow. She never needed to turn up the thermostat the nights he stayed. It was saving on her gas bill.

"Any special occasion?"

Barry sucked in a breath and she could tell he was nervous about something.

"I was thinking dinner and maybe a couple rounds of mini golf..." He grew quiet again and she could swear she could hear his thundering heartbeat. "Felicity, would you be my Valentine?"

Felicity felt a smile split her face so hard she thought her cheeks might strain a muscle. "Barry, that's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me. How can I say no? And you should know that I could never say no to you anyway. What were you so worried about?"

Barry let out his breath in a rush and the next thing she knew she was staring up at him from behind her desk. She ended the call and stood up. He was pale in the face but smiling at her. He shoved his phone in his back pocket and reached out to her. She hurried around her desk at look his outstretched hand, finding herself subjected to a fierce hug. His hugs were as spontaneous as hers could be and she loved how all encompassing they were. He held her like he could whisk her away in a blink and he would shield her from anything. And he probably could, literally. She leaned back and she noticed he was getting some colour back in his cheeks.

"Barry, a girl would have to be crazy to turn you down."

He lifted one hand and tucked a thick lock of hair behind her ear, tenderly stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers in the process. "And what about a beautiful woman?"

Felicity blinked up a him, and realized that in her heels, all she had to do was lean up half an inch and she could kiss him. So she did. After a moment she pulled away and looked at his dazed blissful expression. "Does that answer your question?"

He could only nod wordlessly, with a mega watt smile of a man who'd just won a million dollars.

::: ::: :::

He let her go home to get ready and when he picked her up later, he was dressed in a vest, shirt and tie with dark jeans and brand new sneakers.

Felicity was taking in his few footwear with a knowing grin. "Second pair this week?"

"Third. Cisco's working on something for me but in the mean time I've actually been picking them up from a Chinese manufacturer. Paid cash and stockpiled. I'm thinking about hiring a storage locker since I'm getting quite a bit of stuff in bulk, cacao, macadamia nuts, maple syrup, chia, quinoa, cranberries, dates, coconut basically everything that goes into those protein bars that Caitlin made up for me. And talking about food is making me hungry. You hungry?"

He looked so adorably nervous with his small gift box, standing at her doorway like he'd never been invited in before.

She took the offering and had to grin when she saw what it was. Lifting the lid, she found that inside was a delicate wrist corsage of white gardenias, sprays of jasmine and a single pink rose that matched the simple gardenia boutonnière pinned to his vest.

"Being around you, it's impossible not to feel happy. With my father in prison, being the awkward bullied kid in school, losing my mom, I never thought I'd ever get a chance to feel like this. Especially not after Iris let me down, not that I didn't really expect it already. She's happy with Eddie and he's a nice guy..."

"Barry," she interjected softly, smiling encouragingly at him to get him back on topic.

He squeezed the hand that was holding his and continued, "When I met you, I wanted to get to know you. I had to know more about you. I look at you, Felicity and you're everything I remember about my mom. Smart, beautiful, fun and graceful. You're what all the kids in my school growing up would call a nerd, but at the same time you're totally not. You're hot, and sometimes I have to pinch myself when I look at you, because I wonder how I ever got so lucky to have you in my life. So yeah, I picked joy, admiration, appreciation and elegance because you are all those things to me."

Felicity couldn't resist any longer, she leaned up and curled her fingers around the nape of his neck, before kissing him chastely but firmly on the mouth.

She picked up a metallic wrapped box from the side table and gave it to him. "I hope I remembered right. I'm pretty sure you're wearing it now actually. I wasn't sure if I got the right one since you haven't worn it since our first, not date."

Barry tore off the gift wrapping and stared at the labelled packaging. "Felicity," he whispered in disbelief. "This is too much."

It was the really expensive aftershave he'd bought as birthday present to himself two years ago when he'd hoped to work up the nerve to ask Iris to be his girlfriend but chickened out. He'd packed it when he took the trip to Starling as an after thought, hoping but not really believing he'd meet a nice girl who might like to show a visiting guy around the town for a night. Felicity had not only remembered that but had bought him the $120 plus bottle of aftershave.

Felicity shrugged off his protest. "Call it a thank you for all those home cooked meals you delivered when I was still unpacking."

Barry kissed her cheek and set it back on the side table. "It'll be safer here for now. Thank you. I can't believe you remembered. Or did you snoop through my dresser?"

Felicity gave him a look of mock outrage while he smirked at her. "I'm a forensic scientist. I've got explore all the angles."

"How about the fact that I have excellent sensory memory?" she said while sliding the corsage on her wrist. She could touch type with her eyes closed faster than most court clerks using short hand and she liked to think that her auditory and scenting ability were above average to make up for her ocular impairment.

Barry grinned at her cheekily. "You should know that I have this habit of investigating everything that peaks my interest to the fullest extent. You might live to regret telling me that."

Felicity gulped but bravely looped her hand through his offered arm.

::: ::: :::

They talked and joked so much through dinner that their food got cold waiting for them.

Coffee and Spanish donuts from a street vendor as they walked to the mini-golf course was the perfect after dinner sweet and she got to dust sugar from his cheeks before tasting her favourite flavor from his mouth, cinnamon.

They were putting the 18th hole when Oliver called and not even his news could completely burst her happiness bubble.

"Slade Wilson is loose."

Felicity took in a long calming breath. "What's the plan? Do you have any leads?"

"Waller's got people on it and she's sending footage of the compound, both CCTV and satellite. I was hoping you could help us go over it?"

"Give me an hour, I'll look at it when I get home."

"You're out? It's late there, isn't it?" he sounded concerned.

"I'm on a date. It's Valentine's Day,"

she said by way of explanation.

"Oh," was all he said to that.

Felicity sighed softly. "I promise, I'll be extra careful. Thanks for the heads up. Be safe yourself, Oliver."

"As much as I ever can be,"

he said. "Bye, Felicity."

"Trouble?" Barry asked his face serious. He already had their jackets and his club tucked under his arm. Ready to leave if she asked.

Felicity nodded slowly. "Slade Wilson. A man who would love to put me six feet under."

Barry's face darkened. "Not while I'm around, he's not."

Felicity put a hand on his arm. "You're the most heroic man I know, Barry but if Slade decides to try and punish Oliver through me, I need you to promise you'll let Oliver decide what to do. No one knows Deathstroke better than him and the man is really skilled and remarkably resourceful. The last thing I want is to put you on his radar."

Barry cupped a hand to her cheek. "I won't let him hurt you, Felicity."

Felicity covered his hand with her own. Closing her eyes against his touch and breathing in the warm citrusy clean scent of his aftershave mingled with a scent she found unique to Barry. Looking at him through her lashes, she planted a kiss against his pulse point. "Let's just get out of here. I'm not ready for this night to be over yet but it is getting pretty late. Wanna stay over?"

Barry grinned wolfishly at her. "Absolutely."


	3. Chapter 3

"Barry, are you busy tonight?"

This was the first time he'd answered his cell while in super sonic speed, he wondered how the tech was going to handle the G-force. For the moment he could hear her. Although it sounded like she was talking down a long tunnel.

"I can make time," he said with a smile in his voice. Since Valentine's Day they had stepped things up a notch moving from buddies regularly hanging out to friends who were sort of dating. Neither of them seemed ready to label it yet but they were really happy and comfortable with the status quo. They were taking it slow. They kissed on a daily basis. Sometimes he slept over a couple times a week but it was just sleeping, none of the physical stuff. He couldn't tell her why he was holding back and she didn't seem inclined to press the issue. He loved being able to hold her though. Her hair always smelled like a field of spring flowers and he loved waking up to that. And her smile, with sleepy blue eyes that took a moment to focus and fully wake never failed to make his morning. The world would be a better place if everyone in the world got to see a smile like Felicity's every day.

"There was a problem with one of the major projects that was due for testing this week so most of the team had to bail on our dinner." He could hear the resigned disappointment in her voice. "Caitlin's busy. Cisco is coming but I still have enough food to feed a football team."

Barry grinned widely. "You just have to say free food and you know I'm in."

Felicity stacked the unneeded place settings and switched the phone to her other ear while she carried it all back to the kitchen. "Well I'm just heating the tortillas now. Do you think Joe would like to come over? We've never actually spent more than a minute together but you talk about him all the time and I've bumped into him at the station and S.T.A.R and he was there when they took my statement about Slade and... It's not weird that I'm asking, he wouldn't think it was weird, would he? I called Iris but she and Eddie are out of town visiting his parents."

"Felicity, Joe thinks you're great. The words smart and a keeper came up. If he's not on a shift he'd love it."

Felicity smiled. "Well awesome. I'll be three to one but you guys would never use those odds against me so whose complaining. Besides you're all very easy on the eyes and I've seen Cisco in a tie, he cleans up very nice."

"Seriously? You're not yanking my chain?"

Felicity giggled at the shock in his voice. "He graduated top of his class, you really think his mom let him wear anything less than a suit for his photos."

Barry shook his head. Felicity had a way of getting anyone to spill their deepest, darkest, most embarrassing or shameful stories. Barry still hadn't gotten around to visiting Cisco at home. He never had a reason too. His friend practically lived at the Lab when he wasn't trying to drag them to the nearest hole in the wall pub. Cisco knew how to clean up in a pool hustle and he tried not the be a regular any place so that he could keep up his game.

"I'm gonna do a few more circuits of the city and then I'll hang it up for the night. I'll swing by Joe's and see you soon."

::: ::: :::

Felicity, Joe and Cisco sat in varying states of disbelief as Barry cleaned the last plate. He sat back and surveyed them in surprise. He hadn't noticed they'd been watching. He loved Mexican and fresh, homemade was the best ever. Felicity wasn't kidding when she said she'd put out a huge spread.

Felicity sporting a raised eyebrow and her mouth stuck in a shape of a small O found her voice first. "If I knew you could put that all away I wouldn't have called anyone else. Do you leave here hungry or do you eat before you get here most nights?"

Barry gave an uncomfortable grimace, his eyes crinkling and a blush spreading across his cheeks. Joe had his arms folded over his chest and was giving him a very disapproving look. Cisco looked how he normally did when he witnessed Barry doing something abnormal, morbidly impressed and eagerly curious. As though he was an exceptional test specimen and Cisco had just come up with a brilliant new experiment to trial.

"Do you want me to be honest?"

Felicity nodded mutely.

Barry grimaced. "I feel hungry all the time. More so after I've been running or if I've healed up from getting beat around."

Cisco frowned. "Dude, why didn't you say so?"

Barry ran his hands how his legs and shrugged. "Dr. Wells already feeds me that catering truckload of food every day, and it's not as though you guys are turning a profit with the Lab... I can survive. I'm not starving."

"Hungry is the body's definition of starvation, Barry," Felicity scolded lightly. "If I knew what you needed, I would buy more. You might not have a huge paycheck to start a basement mini-mart but I do have the title Director before my name. It comes with more than a few perks."

Joe surveyed him like he realized something important. "You did this when you first came to stay with us. I thought we've moved past that?"

Barry hung his head, uncomfortable that all the attention was on him and also for Joe reminding him of what an awkward, displaced, nervous kid he'd been.

Joe sighed. "I did most of the cooking because Iris, bless her, can't follow instructions to save her life. We all got food poisoning the one time she heated pies for dinner when I had to work back late. There weren't enough bathrooms in the house to deal with the aftermath and let's just say we didn't forget the experience. Anyway back to this hunger issue - when he was nine, I caught Barry making a sandwich at one in the morning. And I had to drag it out of him that the dinner I was making wasn't enough for a growing boy. He hadn't said a thing, just kept quiet and was sneaking in midnight snacks."

Felicity gave him a look like she wanted to simultaneously hug the stuffing out of him and cry on his shoulder. Cisco just looked reflective. Barry wanted the chair to sink into the floor and take him with it.

Suddenly he was reminded of another bodily function that had changed due to his ultra fast metabolism. Imagine planning your day to using the bathroom at work because a domestic toilet didn't have enough pressure to handle the load. His stomach gurgled in warning. Joe shared an alarmed pointed look with him. He had been subject to Barry's domestic pressure mishap when they had to call a plumber to fix the problem at Joe's.

"Excuse me, I gotta go. I'll be back."

Cisco stared at the vacant chair and mused out loud. "Is that gotta go, as in go." He looked up at the ceiling in the direction of Felicity's bathroom. "Or did I miss an emergency signal?"

Felicity stood and started stacking dishes. She frowned as her brain started to piece together why Barry needed to leave in a hurry. As she thought about it, she realised that she'd never actually seen Barry use a toilet. Was it a conscious physiological thing or a custom Barry, biological thing? She made a point to ask him about it. She could get extra supplies, whatever he needed. She didn't want him having to speed around just to attend to everyday needs. It was obvious that expending that energy required a lot of fuel and she could only speculate the wear and tear he was putting his body through. Speedster in Yellow aside, or Reverse Flash as Cisco called him, Barry was one of a kind. There was no precedent. She cared about him too much for him to take unnecessary risks with his health.

She bought out a flan she'd bought and served it with black coffee. She didn't have the patience for baking and she wasn't a big sweet tooth but she did have her favorites. Depending on how much syrup you put with each bite, you could control the dessert's sweetness. It was the perfect treat in her opinion. Judging from Cisco's face, she concluded that he more than approved.

They had moved to the lounge area when Barry made a reappearance. She poured out the coffee and everyone dug in. Barry made no move to grab a slice, so she cut an extra large one and set it on his lap.

"If you won't tell me, I'm going to have to start guessing. And trust me, if you leave it up to me, I'll find a way to beat your metabolism and those sexy abs of yours might disappear. We can't have that."

Her teasing did the trick and he smiled at her, reaching for her hand he pulled her closer and dropped a grateful kiss, full of warm affection on her lips.

"Urgh,"Cisco groaned. "And I thought Ronnie and Caitlin's PDAs were cringey to watch. Barry, dude, pity for the single nerd... Come on."

They broke apart. Barry couldn't stop smiling. Her kiss never failed to warm him all the way to his toes and make his abs twitch with butterflies. "I promise I'll tell you if I ever need anything. I've just never been comfortable being a burden and..."

Joe cleared his throat loudly. "Felicity, we'll drum it out of him eventually. It's a long term goal."

Felicity nodded in agreement with Joe. She squeezed his knee as she stood to slide onto Barry's vacant leg. She looped her arms around his shoulders and playfully mussed his hair. "We love you, Bear." She kissed his cheek and squeezed him. "You'll never weird me out, okay. So sharing is caring."

Barry glanced up at her and laughed lightly. "Okay, I'll try to be more communicative about everything."

Her brilliant smile was well worth the nervousness rolling in his stomach. This woman made him feel like he could run faster than lightening, while lighter than air. He caught Joe's eye over Felicity's shoulder and saw that his surrogate father was watching them with a proud smile on his face. He smiled back.

As he held his girl in his lap, Barry understood that this must be what being in love felt like. It was both terrifying and awesome.


	4. Chapter 4

It was bound to happen. Honestly she should have anticipated it. Neither of them really discussed their past unrequited love for significant others whom were still a part of their lives. They'd just fallen into an easy relationship of like minds and mutual attraction. Not realizing that by pretending they didn't have baggage, it hung around them like a noose just waiting for the opportune time to jinx up their neat little lives.

When it did happen things were said in the heat of the moment with unwilling captives in audience and ended with Felicity marching off after growling that Barry not follow. Especially since she could never out run him.

Felicity sat in her car for the longest time trying to remember the last time she had hurt this much. It was irrational to feel this shattered. It was just a kiss. And he hadn't even reciprocated. Her hands tighten on the wheel and she kept squeezing all her frustration out till it made a squeak of protest. She knew this feeling. It was how she'd felt when Malcolm Merlyn had brought back that ghastly medieval relic coated in what she had confirmed was Oliver's blood.

She took off her glasses and wiped her face. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming the racing beat of her heart. She knew why she felt so crushed. Her blinders were off and this was her rational side finally having her day in the sun. It was because she knew there was nothing to fight for. She was done. She wasn't a quitter but she had too much pride and self respect to cling to someone who was so obviously in love with someone else. Whatever Iris was doing with Eddie was her choice but Felicity didn't see it going the distance when she obviously had a crush on the Flash. Also she saw the way Iris watched her with Barry. Like she was trying to figure out what Felicity had that could make Barry happy. As though she were constantly watching and waiting for Felicity to fail in some way so she could sweep in and say, "Don't worry Barry. I'll always be here for you."

She didn't know if Barry liked Eggs Benedict because Iris did, or if he really liked them. She didn't know if he kept going to Jitters because Iris used to work there and out of a sense of nostalgia or loyalty or because he honestly loved the coffee. There was actually a nicer coffee shop on the ground floor of her building that she had taken him to once but she'd never bumped into him there on any of her breaks. Barry also knew how to do a manicure and blow dry hair and she'd never taught him any of that. And according to Iris, he had never had a steady girlfriend. It always came back to Iris and Felicity knew she wasn't strong enough to complete with someone who wasn't gone. Shado, Sara and even Laurel had cast pretty impressive shadows over anything Oliver tried to decide to do with his life but Felicity knew that when it came down to it, Oliver was his own man. Felicity wondered if Barry even knew how much he gravitated to Iris for approval and how Iris saw herself in Barry's life.

Her phone flashed in her hand and she snorted a bittersweet laugh at the face that appeared.

"Hi Laurel."

"Hi Felicity. Are you okay? I saw the news and I mean obviously you're not seriously hurt if you're answering but... That's not actually why I called."

Felicity grimaced. While she wouldn't go so far as to call them friends, she did respect Laurel professionally and her admiration for her had grown a lot when she'd discovered that she had taken up her sister's mantle, without any back up in the beginning to try to keep Brick's men from running riot over everyone. She was at a loss to figure out why Laurel would call though. Had something happened with the Team. Was Oliver hurt?

"Thea and I are planning a party for Oliver's 30th and I know he'd love for you to be there."

Felicity caught the reluctant undertone in the woman's voice but didn't call her on it. She knew that Laurel had unresolved feelings were Oliver was concerned. After Sara had reappeared it was as though it had broken the confidence Laurel had in herself. She was a successful, respected lawyer but seeing Sara again had stripped it all away. Felicity knew Laurel wasn't over Oliver despite what she said and she was always looking for his approval, both in the hero business and her personal life. It wouldn't surprise her if a couple years down the track they wound up back together - bickering, festering issues and addiction problems aside. She only hoped that Team Arrow would be able to weather the storm that those two together could create.

Felicity sighed softly. "We have several big projects running concurrently at the moment but you only turn 30 once. I'll make time. When and where?"

"We're holding it at Verdant. Easy out if we have to suit up and it'll be 8pm, two weeks from today."

"Thanks for the call, Laurel. And on the other thing, you know you can call me anytime if you need a nerd on hand."

"Felicity, you're so much more than that to all of us. Take care of yourself, okay?"

Felicity thanked her and they ended the call. Her body rocked as a sob threatened to erupt. The truth of it was that Laurel had been genuine in her entreaty and that had surprised Felicity. She was used to people needing things from her. She wasn't used to genuine gratitude for just being herself or for concern over her well being. Part of that was the fact that she had trouble letting people in, fear or rejection and abandonment, but the other part was because she knew that she had quirky personality. She was never Miss Popular and she never cared to be but she did value every one of she friends. She mused to herself that she might have to bump up Laurel from acquaintance to friend. It wouldn't be so bad to have another girlfriend to vegetate and share hot fudge ice cream with once a month. Caitlin was a sorbet girl and she and Iris definitely weren't besties. As of right now it may be a good thing she didn't have a girlfriend's shoulder to cry on, she was thinking she could probably finish a whole pint on her own.

::: ::: :::

Caitlin and Cisco glanced over at Barry who was still wearing his Flash costume with matching gobsmacked, thin lipped expressions.

"Dude, you are in so much trouble," Cisco said, slowly shaking his head.

Caitlin chewed on her bottom lip, her forehead wrinkled in concern. Even her relationship with Ronnie which had its fair share of issues, most largely related to the fact that the military were trying to capture him and he was sort of intrinsically connected to another person. She shivered as she mused not of the first time how much of Ronnie and her enthusiastic reunion, Dr. Stein

might have experienced. Her frown grew deeper. All that aside, their relationship seemed to have better odds than Barry's had at a possible future.

"I didn't kiss her," Barry argued hopelessly.

Cisco was trying not to smile at the thought of Barry's current misfortune. He had two hot women throwing themselves at him. Why was he complaining? Oh right, one of them, a really cute, brilliant blonde might have just called it quits. The smile left his face easily. "It certainly sounded like it," he pointed out in the absent Felicity's defense.

"Iris is with Eddie. They went window shopping for rings, two days ago. I wouldn't do that to my friends and definitely not to Felicity. I love her," Barry confessed softly.

Caitlin looked surprised while Cisco gave Barry an impressed smile and folded his arms over his chest. "Wow. I mean, how did that happen? When did it happen?" He shared a look with Caitlin who raised an eyebrow and shot him an 'I wouldn't have a clue' look.

Barry paced slowly, not eager to go anywhere fast, needing his full attention to brainstorm over how he could fix this.

When Tockman had escaped Iron Heights and disappeared, they knew that he'd be back. He never liked his meticulous, precise plans disrupted and the Flash team had speculated over who might he'd target first. They'd concluded it would be Iris since she had foiled his plans at vengeance and she would fill a duel purpose of punishing the instigator and the Central City Police with her death.

Tockman hacked the traffic control system causing accidents and chaos all over the city. Barry had helped saved people trapped in crushed cars and emptied a bus load of passengers and a rescued a fuel tanker driver before the entire intersection went up in flames. He even stopped an old war veteran from being collected by a van when they both thought their signals were green.

Tockman had been keeping the Flash and the police department busy so that no one noticed Iris had been taken until he advertised the fact.

When their Villain of the Week had broadcast live footage of Iris tied in front of pop-open doors at the top of a giant cuckoo clock just waiting for her demise, Barry had lost his cool. When the clock stuck the hour, the bird would shoot out and Iris would be impaled.

Caitlin had called Felicity right away to update her and Felicity had left her office without delay. Barry was wearing a hole in the floor while Caitlin and Cisco had scoured every radio channel and street camera they could access for any sign of Iris.

Felicity had found Iris. With an enhancement program she had built and using the footage the news had released, she was able to create a 3D profile of the possible location from the reflection in the large clock face. Barry had saved Iris with only seconds to spare and Iris had kissed him in the heat of the moment.

Taken by surprise Barry hadn't pulled away immediately or dodged her kiss. He'd been honestly checking her for injuries or a concussion or he would have noticed her intention and blur moved. As was Felicity's biggest argument.

He could have dodged if he wanted to. He could move faster than the speed of sound, the blink of an eye and stop bullets, he could dodge a pair of lips. In his defense, his only defense, he really hadn't seen it coming.

As he relived their argument, he cringed and stood stock still as their words played out in surround sound, ringing with loud clarity in his head.

"I didn't kiss her. And she was kissing the Flash any way, not me. She was relieved. Grateful. You heard what she said. People rarely catch a glimpse of the Flash long enough to say thank you."

Felicity looked at him like he'd grown two heads. Honestly he felt like he was two people right now. He was still sweaty and wearing the suit, while trying to mollify and reassure his girlfriend that he didn't cheat on her. It was a little surreal.

"So when Oliver saved me last week, after Slade was about to decapitate me, again. I should have kissed him in gratitude? I mean the Arrow's not as popular as the Flash. He needs a bit of a hero boost. You'd be fine with that?"

Barry glared at her. "That's not the same thing but it's not like you haven't kissed him before."

"I've never kissed him! Never! He kissed me. I wasn't expecting it. And it was over before I even had a chance to think about how I felt about it. Barry," she said, her voice breaking on his name, "With you, it's different. That night on the train I wanted you. I knew you. We met each other halfway. I'm not in the habit of kissing random guys. You know why I really came to Star City and from the moment I saw you in your office, I knew the truth but I put my pride on the line anyway. We are two pieces of the same puzzle. It's how we work. You fit me and I... I really thought that if we just gave it a chance that we would be perfect and I know now that I've just been hanging onto the Barry I knew before Iris and it's... I just can't lie to myself anymore. All the things I thought were you are all because of Iris. You're not over her and I'm not sure she's let you go."

He stared at her helplessly, his arms hanging loosely at his sides, his posture defeated and uncertain. "You're telling me that if Oliver told you he was giving up the Hood and said he was still in love with you, you wouldn't let him sweep you back to Starling City?"

Felicity blinked at him in shock, her eyes suspiciously wet. "Oliver and I were over before we ever had a chance to start. He's my friend and I'll always care about him. Despite how he sees himself, he's a good man and he needs people who love him to remind him of that but I'm not in love with Oliver."

A big part of him knew that. And believed in what she said. He didn't know why he had doubts, these nagging insecurities. Well if he was being honest he did know but he didn't want to think about Iris right now. He remembered her reaction to seeing Oliver in person, the fangirling and her words. That Oliver was on her cheat list with Eddie. It had been a huge blow to his perception of her. He never dreamed that his best friend would ever find any form of cheating acceptable.

After watching how Felicity gravitated to Oliver, how faithfully and tirelessly she supported him, Barry had been intimidated and envious of their relationship but then it had reminded him of his closeness with Iris. Now he understood that it was a poor comparison. Iris treated him like a brother or a proxy girlfriend, her ever faithful back-up guy, whereas he'd been hopeless devoted and in love with her.

Oliver and Felicity despite the lacking romance factor had a true partnership. Even though they were apart now, that dynamic hadn't really changed. Felicity trusted Oliver implicitly and Oliver trusted Felicity.

Then her words hit him on repeat. "I'm not in love with Oliver."

What she left unsaid came at him with the force of a freight train and he stumbled a step. He watched her wide-eyed and apologetic. "Felicity?" He moved in her direction, his hands open and reaching for her.

The tears fell then and she didn't wipe them, she busied herself collecting her coat and bag. "Don't, Barry. I need some air and don't follow me. I need space. Please respect that."

He froze and watched her all but run from the lab. Dr. Wells who had been who knows where for half the crisis rolled in narrowly avoiding a collision with Felicity. The look on his face was obvious.

"Someone want to fill me in? Iris is safe. Joe just called to thank the team, so what's going on?"

Barry didn't have the energy to recount what just happened. He was starving and his muscles were cramping due to the lack of sugar, sodium and hydration in his body. "I need to eat and sleep, like now. I'll see you all tomorrow."

He sped out of the suit and went home. After cleaning out the fridge and showering it was a long time before his mind would let him fall asleep. His phone never left his hand all night. He kept waiting to see her face light up his screen but it didn't.


	5. Chapter 5

The music was great but incredibly loud so that even standing with very little space between them, she could hardly hear Oliver at all.

She wasn't surprised to see his fake startle reflex when everyone yelled at him in greeting as Roy walked him through the door of the supposedly closed night for Verdant. But she supposed that even John trying to be inconspicuous, turning away non-invitees at the gate to the back parking lot had probably given them away. But knowing Oliver, he wouldn't be much of a spy-vigilante if he couldn't uncover the world's worst kept secret surprise 30th bash, Laurel and Thea had planned for him.

"I'm glad you could make it," he said giving her a tight one armed hug. He dropped a quick kiss on her temple and then pulled away.

She smiled up and him and he smiled back. "Me too. We've both been busy and I didn't get to tell you properly that there better not have been any brooding over what happened with Slade."

Oliver's expression changed at the first letters of the man's name and the feelings he envoked. "I'm sorry, Felicity. He didn't make it easy for us to find where he was based..."

She snorted in a very unlady like manner. "And he wouldn't be Slade if he had. There were two reasons he went after me. First he knew it would send you the right message and make you think irrationally and what he hoped, impulsively, leaving yourself vulnerable to more direct attacks and secondly, he knew that I was behind your best cyber and tech offence. Taking me out of the team was supposed to cripple you. He didn't know about Cisco or Barry."

Oliver frowned and Felicity watched his jaw tick. He only did that when he was upset or nervous and Oliver was rarely nervous.

"Oliver, whatever it is that you want to tell me, I can handle it."

He smiled tightly and have her a long assessing glance. "Like when I told you I was going to train with Malcolm?"

Felicity felt her happy denial bubble burst. So they were going to bring up the white elephant. And things had been going so well. "Stress, grief and sleep deprivation can really do a number on your brain. I could live with the knowledge that Merlyn is Thea's biological father. I even started to accept that Sara might never get justice because of what Malcolm did but you weren't here, Oliver. We had to deal with his smugness, and evil gloating and I wished I was half the marksmen you are and I would have put an arrow in him myself. He bugged my babies! Invaded the lair like he owned the place... Well technically he does," she growled in frustration and she could feel Oliver's long suffering eyes on her even without looking. "Digressing and so not the point I'm trying to make. The man has no soul, Oliver. And you were going to rely on him to save you? Put all our safety in his hands? I just couldn't accept that. I still don't. I love you and I always will but it doesn't mean I have to like what you choose to do or who you choose to do it with." She stared hard at the floor then suffering from brain catch up with mouth ramifications when her poor choice of words and the memories they conjured of Isabel's perfect smirking face surfaced.

Oliver gave her a soft apologetic smile and hugged her in an all encompassing way before letting her go. She could feel his reluctance and his resignation over whatever he conclusion he'd come to in his mind and it showed on his face as he looked down at her. "I love you, Felicity. You've made me a better man. You helped me believe in people again and I'll always remember that but I'm glad you found someone else to love, and even though I'm sure he probably will do something to screw up in future...just don't give up on him yet." He gave her a penetrating look that made her feel sparks all the way to her toes. He squeezed her arm and then left to move in the direction of Thea and Roy, who were animatedly engaging a group of partygoers their age group.

Her phone rang and she saw Barry's name light up her screen. It had been a few days since she'd run into him. It had been out of necessity since she'd had to go down to the precinct to hand over surveillance they had requested about a break-in to the Palmer Tech building. Joe had asked if she could bring it down since he was swamped at work and couldn't spare the time for the drive out.

Now that she thought about it she wondered if it wasn't a not so subtle attempt to get her and Barry to talk. She shook her head. Joe was awesome but she wouldn't put it past him to play Dad/Matchmaker on both of them.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Felicity, I really want to talk to you. Will you give me a chance to do that?"

"You mean you haven't already talked everyone else's ear off about me?" She said with a trace of bitterness to her voice. She was getting dating advice from Oliver because of Barry. Just when had they seen each other and why did her name come up?

She heard him suck in a sharp breath. "He told you? I didn't call him if that's what you're thinking. Felicity, I'm here and he called me to tell me about the party since neither Thea or Laurel know about me. I want to talk to you but this place is a nightmare. Even if I did speed, it'd be like navigating mini-karts while trying not to pass out from the neon lights. I've never been a club guy, the pulsing lights do a number on my brain."

Felicity couldn't fight the snort laugh that escaped. It was such a Barry-ism to have a bad reaction to club lighting. "I'm at the far end of the bar near the back exit."

A second later she felt him displace the air behind her. She turned to look at him. "I thought you said doing that would make the lights worse?"

"Focusing on you makes it easier," he said quietly. He had such a lost and meek expression on his face that her heart melted.

"I miss you," she blurted out.

His face cracked a wide smile and he ducked his face before meeting her eyes, relief and hope flooding his expression. "Really? You have no idea how crazy I've been without you. Felicity, it's like a vacuum sucked all the sunshine out of my days. It's hard to breathe without you. I feel like an addict? Can you be addicted to a person?" he asked, nervously tapping his fingers at his sides and bouncing on his feet.

"Will you ever let another pair of lips touch these again?" she asked lightly tracing her index finger over his soft bottom lip.

Barry's mouth opened and a soft groan tickled the tip of her finger. He nipped the end of her index finger lightly before he caught her hand in his and interlaced their fingers, dragging her closer. "You're the only one I want, Felicity. And I'll prove it to you."

He got down on his knees, and Felicity's heart started a wild loud beat in her chest. She was surprised it didn't pound right out of her rib cage. He wasn't going to do what she thought he was, was he?

He pulled out a slim box from inside his jacket. By this point they'd drawn an audience. At least it didn't look like a ring box. At least she hoped not. Or maybe she did, it just seemed too fast. He hadn't met her mother, he'd probably rethink this whole reconciliation if he had, her mother could be a bit intense and a little overprotective at times... and she hadn't met his dad and... He was opening the box.

"Felicity, just so you know exactly how I feel about you. Will you accept this and do me the honour of being my girlfriend?"

It took her a good ten seconds of silence - someone had muted the DJ and she was staring at the wrist corsage he was presenting her - before she could even formulate her thoughts to answer.

Inside the box was a perfect, simple but breathtaking arrangement of red roses and Star of Bethlehem flowers in the shape of a wrist corsage. He must have scoured a lot for them because she had never seen them at any of the regular florist and it was definitely not a street vendor flower.

Passionate love and hope

"Barry," she said leaning closer to pull him up. She threw her arms around his neck, almost crushing the box between them, she pulled back a little at the last moment so the flowers wouldn't get squashed. "Yes, I'll be your girlfriend."

The crowd around them erupted into cheers and wolf whistles. Felicity glanced in the direction of the loudest and noticed Thea clapping and smiling widely while elbowing a neutral faced Roy. But then the man rarely wore any other expression, unless he was angry. It was really hard to get him to crack a smile. Although she knew Thea was working on him.

Speaking of the woman, a hand inserted itself between them. "Thea Queen. I don't believe we've met?" She said with a publicly practiced smile.

Barry shook her hand while keeping one arm around Felicity's waist. "Barry Allen. I met Oliver through Felicity last year. Sorry if it seems like I'm crashing but the man of the hour said it'd be fine."

Thea arched an eyebrow at her brother who had silently appeared at Felicity's vacant side. "He did, did he? So tell me about yourself, Barry. You must be one heck of a catch to steal away my brother's best girl."

Felicity let out a small gasp at the same time that Oliver growled out his sister's name in warning. "Thea?"

"Well she is," Thea said folding her arms and meeting her brother's narrowed eyes, unflinching and with a nonchalant toss of her head. Turning to the pair, but more pointedly at Barry, she continued, "My brother's been through a lot and not much makes him smile these days. He as even fewer friends. Real friends, so I'm not going to apologise for making sure that nothing messes with the ones he's closest to."

"I work with the Central City Police Department and I'm a good guy, if that helps?" Barry said shooting a hopeful but confused glance between Felicity and Oliver.

Felicity and Thea had formed a friendship of sorts due to her frequent appearance at the club and her seemingly close relationship with Oliver intriguing the younger Queen. They weren't the type to go to chick flicks or on shopping trips together but they did get a coffee or dinner together on occasion and swap stories about absent parents, dysfunctional childhoods and wild college days. And sometimes, a few words about Oliver would slip out in passing. Thea would make a remark and Felicity would agree or disagree and the moment would pass.

"Barry, I didn't need to see your ID or know your backstory to know that you were a good guy. Good enough to warrant a coffee date at the very least," Felicity said gently with a fond smile at him.

Oliver's lip twitched but only Thea noticed. Thea nodded to herself and have her brother a look and inclined her head. As if to say you only have yourself to blame for missing the boat.

Thea let her arms drop and squeezed Felicity's hand. "Well he certainly won points for being dramatic. Nicely done, Mr. Allen. Felicity, we need to have coffee before you leave okay?"

As the younger woman whirled away, Felicity let out a small sigh knowing that her invitation wasn't really a negotiable request.

"Wow, Cisco wasn't kidding. She's..." Barry stopped at Oliver's raised eyebrow and twitching biceps. "What? I was going to say she like a force of nature. Intense and unpredictable."

Oliver's lips thinned and he huffed in a noncommittal response.

Felicity leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Happy birthday. I left your present somewhere it wouldn't get disturbed. Goodnight, Oliver."

As she left on Barry's arm, Oliver wondered if the sting would ever fade. He remembered the words she'd said in the hospital the day they'd kissed.

"Then say never. Don't dangle maybes."

He'd hoped for someday but she had been right to call it then. It was unfair to expect her to wait until things were safe enough or he was less damaged and more in control of the mess that was his life. Barry was good to her. He was a better man and he could protect her. Both her body and her heart.

He saw Lyla and Diggle greet them warmly on their way to the exit. John must have finally handed over gate security to someone else for the night.

As Felicity disappeared, swallowed up by the throng of dancing bodies he said a quiet farewell.

"Goodbye, Felicity."

It would take time but he knew his heart would eventually accept what his mind already knew. This was her best chance at a full and happy life. He cared her enough to give her that. It wasn't a natural instinct for him to be unselfish but when it came to the people he loved, it was surprisingly easy.

::: ::: :::

Oliver went down stairs and saw a large box on the desk. He opened it an found that it was a padded quiver. One side was moulded and quilted. He slung it across his chest and adjusted the strap and jumped and jogged on the spot with it a frown forming the more moves he did. Just to test it further, he slid and rolled over one of the long desks and then ran up the stairs before jumping over the railing halfway up. The quiver barely jostled and unlike the norm where lots of running and jumping would make his lower back cry in protests, all he could do was stand there in fascinated surprise. He couldn't remember ever complaining about it but maybe she'd seen him wince once while hanging it all up for the night.

He heard footsteps. And saw John watching him as he came down from the club.

"Works right?" he said with a nod and a smile.

John nodded. "When Lyla and I visited her in Central City she had me give it a field test. We're closer in size than Barry or Cisco. It's a prototype but she mentioned that she'll work on one for Roy if you think it's good."

Oliver had the passing selfish thought of saying it wasn't a great design just so he would be the only one to benefit from her creativity and thoughtfulness. "True test will be if it keeps the arrows how I want them."

John just smiled in an 'a huh, I totally don't believe you but I'll let you keep your denial for now' way. "Turned out all right. He's a good kid," John said conversationally as he took the frame from the open box.

Oliver walked over and looked at what John was holding. It was a picture from Verdant that Barry had taken of the team before they'd left. It was of Roy, Diggle, Felicity and himself. He'd been a reluctant participant but with Felicity under his arm and hers around his waist, the smile from the photo was genuine. She made him forget completely that they were posing at all.

"He is." Oliver's thoughts weren't really on Barry at all at that moment looking at Felicity but John knew that.

He could see that Felicity was happy. He'd seen a different side to her in Central City. A confident, brighter and less harried Felicity. The boy was good for her but at the same time he knew that Oliver wasn't happy. No matter what he told himself, he wouldn't be happy until he resolved his feelings for Felicity.

"Happy birthday, Oliver. Take the night off alright? Let Roy and I handle it . You're only 30 once. Live a little."

Oliver glanced at the picture once more before putting it away. As much as he liked it, he could never display it. The lair wasn't that secure no matter how much they upped the locks or the surveillance. And it would never give his enemies direct conformation of who to target.

"Thanks Dig. I think I'll take a ride."

::: ::: :::

Barry swept her up into his arms and she blushed prettily at effortless ease in while he carried her.

"This extra muscle mass is going to keep surprising me," she said with a grin.

"Where to?" Barry asked returning her smile, so happy to have her back in his arms and smiling again.

"Well Romeo, I actually brought my car so you can take us there. Then, you can stay with me if you want. Unless you rented your own place?"

Barry gave her an hesitant look. "Actually I hadn't planned anything beyond seeing you. I just ran over and if you shut me down I was just going to go home again."

Felicity put a hand to his cheek and stroked her thumb lightly over the freckles that dotted his skin. "I'm glad you didn't give up on us," she said softly.

"Never," he said firmly.

Felicity leaned up and kissed him until he actually filtered a step and gripped her so tightly to his body it was almost bruising and she had to pull away for air. "Let's go home."

Barry felt a bloom of warmth expand in his chest. Home. Here. Central City. Wherever. For him, home was with Felicity. Them together. He beamed. "Ready, when you are." At her nod, they disappeared in a flash.


	6. Chapter 6

He really should have warned him. Sort of a lot to spring on a guy. Telling him about Joe's reopening the case, a coroner's inquest and a judge re-examining the evidence presented, including newly presented crime scene reconstruction that supported the eye witness testimony and Henry's claims. He was being released, with a new verdict pending from a closed jury.

Barry could tell that even as Laurel presented the news as a neutral third party, she was representing his dad pro-Bono on Felicity's recommendation, it was completely overwhelming his father.

The totally awesome thing about it all in Barry's opinion is that his dad didn't have to front court again until the jury had determined their verdict. And from what Laurel could determine, even if they ruled involuntary manslaughter, which was highly unlikely since they couldn't determine guilt beyond reasonable doubt with undetermined blood spatter and friction burns scorched into the floor lacquer that proved a meta-human speedster was in the house when Nora died, his Dad would still be free because of the time he'd already served.

Barry watched his father's eyes tear up and felt himself getting choked up as well.

"Barry, son, I told you over Christmas, you gotta live your life. Even if I get out, the guy that killed your mom is still out there. For all these years he's left us alone because he's sure, he got away clean. You and Joe, Iris... I don't want you in harm's way. Barry, I just need you safe. That's all I care about."

Barry put his hands on the table and reached for his Dad's hands before Laurel stopped him. She nodded at the guards and Barry understood that his gesture could wait. In a few hours or so, he could hug his Dad all he wanted.

"You know, Dad, you told me to go out and live. Find love, someone who made everything brighter, the way Mom did for you. Well I found her, Dad. I haven't put my life on hold anymore. It was Cisco and Felicity that insisted that Joe was onto something. She said she couldn't let an innocent man waste away in prison. Especially not someone important to someone that she loves," he said that with pride in his voice but an embarrassed tint to his cheeks as he smiled.

His father sat back in his chair and regarded his son thoughtfully. "Sounds like a remarkable young woman, your Felicity."

Barry and Laurel shared a look and a bemused grin. "It's been said before," Laurel said with sincerity. She stood and collected her briefcase. "I'll be seeing you again soon, Mr. Allen. Give me 48-hours to get everything arranged with the Warden and you'll be released to Barry's care until the verdict. It's been a pleasure speaking with you today."

Henry was too stunned with the information he'd been given to do little more than nod at her respectfully. "Thank you, Miss Lance. For everything."

Laurel nodded to Barry. "I really don't have much to do at all. Barry has surrounded himself with very passionate and capable friends."

"I'd love to meet this young woman of yours, Barry. She sounds really special."

"Oh she is. She's smart, she's funny, she's super successful and the things she can create..."

Henry watched his son grow more animated, his smile lighting up his whole face. "I don't want to put a damper on your feelings, Barry but if this girl is as special as you say she is, then she doesn't deserve any less than your whole heart. With the way you talked about Iris for years, I always thought you two kids would end up together."

Barry sobered a little and looked at his dad seriously. "I think we missed our chance, Dad. I waited too long to tell her and honestly, it's for the best. I think I loved the idea of Iris. The popular pretty girl, who was nice to everyone, always spared a smile for the weedy nerd that the jocks loved to wail on. We only started really getting to know each other after Joe took me in. Before that I was too shy to even say two words to her. Felicity... We just click. From the moment I met her it was magnetic. Her smile, her mind... Dad, I know what being without her is like, I almost lost her by being a total idiot and not telling her exactly what she means to me."

"And how do you feel about her?" Henry asked.

Barry didn't miss a beat. "I love her. Totally and completely."

"Can I meet her?" Henry asked finally letting his approval show. He had always told himself he would never get involved in his son's relationships unless Barry was serious about the woman. He had a right to make his own mistakes but if things were getting serious, he wanted to get an impression of his possible daughter In-law before the I Dos happened. He and Nora were real old school, raised by their parents that way. Marriage was for life and it wasn't a commitment you went into blindly or casually. And even though Barry had been raised half of his life by Joe it seemed that he and Nora's example and principles still resonated strongly in their son. Barry wanted his approval, he read it plainly on his face.

"Actually, she's waiting for me. They only let two visitors in at a time and she said it was more important that you meet with Laurel first. I can call her in now..."

Henry gestured for him to hold up. "I managed to keep almost everyone away while I was in here. I didn't want anyone to see me like this. I don't want her first impression of me to be in jailhouse gray with two days worth of stubble."

Barry shifted on his feet nervously. "Okay. But we're having you over the first meal out. Felicity is a fantastic cook and..."

"You live together?" Henry asked his eyebrows hiking dangerously high, along with his pitch.

Barry frowned and held out his hands in a manner of surrender. "No. No," he said more firmly. "I live with Joe."

Henry fixed his adult son with a scrutinising look. "I know Joe said he had the talk with you for me, but..."

"Whoa, Dad, we don't need to go there. Seriously. Scientist remember, I got how all that biology works and just so you know, not that you need to or want to but you're obviously going to worry, Felicity and I haven't, we're not..."

"Good to know," Henry interjected helpfully saving them both from further awkwardness.

"Oh and Joe's coming by later. He'll take you home."

"You sure three's not going to be a crowd?"

Barry grinned and shook his head. "Are you kidding, the three of us. It's going to be so cool."

::: ::: :::

"Save me? I know I told my Dad we're not living together but this is driving me insane."

Felicity petted her distraught boyfriend's cheek and kissed his hair. "Barry, someone might actually commit murder if you aren't there as a buffer. Your Dad and Joe are like chalk and cheese. They can talk work and sports and after that there's awkward silences and resentment. They both need you. It's only a little longer and then we can actually help your Dad find his own place."

His Dad loved Felicity and Barry loved spending time with him but she was right that he really needed his own space. He wasn't used to being around people so much. Not people he was expected to converse with anyway. He found talking for long stretches exhausting and he grew restless in crowded places or even at a full dinner table. Felicity sensed that the first night he came over and made a point just to have his Dad come over alone in future instead of having the whole Allen and West clan and friends over together.

Barry sighed and planted his chin on his arms. He glanced up at her and gave her his best puppy eyes. "Don't send me back yet?"

Felicity took his hand and waved a bottle of hot rod red nail polish at him. "I need those magic fingers of yours."

Barry got to his feet and allowed her to tug him along to the bedroom. He made it seem like he was in suffering with her request but really he was one happy guy. Felicity had cute feet and any excuse to touch them freely was awesome in his opinion. Joe and his Dad could wait.


	7. Chapter 7

Caitlin was thrashing and groaning in the back of the mini van, Cisco was trying to keep her comfortable without directly touching her and Barry was trying not to argue with Felicity over comms.

Since discovering Dr. Wells real plans for Barry and the strong evidence they had that the Reverse Flash was responsible for Nora Allen's death, they had all distanced themselves from Wells and S.T.A.R Labs. Having Felicity based in Central with unlimited access to a well equipped private lab and unrestricted sockets to the best communications satellite over the eastern seaboard, they weren't suffering the loss too much.

However tensions were running high and they all seemed to be walking around with a six sense wondering when the other shoe was going to drop now that Wells knew that they suspected him to be the Reverse Flash. Cisco and Felicity were working overtime trying to manufacture a means to protect everyone from getting killed - death by cellular vibration. As deaths went, it sounded like a terrible way to go. Cisco speculated it to be like being microwaved. And Felicity had this terrible visual of a bean burrito explosion. No one could eat Mexican for a week.

"Guys, what's the hold up? Caitlin needs a doctor now. I have a clean room prepped and Anna is standing by. Central City General wouldn't know what to do first. Barry, if I don't hear you floor it in the next second..."

Felicity closed her eyes to shake off the inertia and hastily shed her smoldering blouse. "Why? Not again. That was a last season favorite. Barry!" she growled at him, before another pained cry snapped her back on task. "So not the time," she hissed in self chastisement, but glaring at her fashion vandal as she put on the jacket he offered. "I'll vent at you later. Strap in." She planted the clutch and shifted into gear. As she indicated and zipped into traffic, she yelled over her shoulder at Cisco, to ask for an update. "Caitlin, what's happening? And Cisco, why is Caitlin the only one in your little hero group that can drive stick? It's like a right of passage. It's gotta be in violation of some code that you guys can't drive a mini van."

"I resent that," Cisco called from the back. "I can drive stick, I was just a little busy trying to keep my friend from dying due to extreme climatic exposure."

Felicity zipped in and out of traffic, while Barry nervously held on to the mobility aid fixture. Felicity felt his wide-eyed stare and huffed at him. "I'm making up time and I'm not breaking the speed limit."

"No," he said cautiously, "Just making every driver on the road and me, nervous."

Felicity growled under her breath. "I told you to strap in."

They'd lost five minutes because Barry couldn't drive the van. As they pulled into the emergency parking at the rear of her building, Felicity hit the horn repeatedly until they saw Anna and her team come racing out with a gurney.

Felicity cut the engine and Barry had the back open and was putting Caitlin gently on the stretcher. He hissed and nearly dropped her, re-actively in response to the sudden pain. Cisco buckled her on and the team wheeled her away. Felicity looked at Barry's arms. The shirt he was wearing was crusted over in a fine sheen of ice crystals. Her eyes widened in alarm and she instinctively moved to touch him, to help him if she could and he backed away.

"I can't feel my arms," he said his voice betraying the fear he felt.

Felicity put her arm around his waist. "I have some blankets inside. I'll cut off your shirt and take a look, but first I need to warn the team."

Barry nodded and Felicity had to blink away tears, it wouldn't do to break down in hysterics now. Their friend was fighting for her life, they needed to understand what was happening and they wouldn't be able to do that, unless they could get Caitlin to tell them what she was experiencing.

::: ::: :::

They were all wearing insulated, non-conductive gloves. It helped that in Palmer Technologies, Applied Sciences division they experimented with all sorts of materials that they had seemingly limitless supplies of all manner of safety equipment on hand.

Anna was putting Caitlin through a next generation imaging machine that was still in beta testing stage. It was the aim to render 2D ultrasounds and X-rays obsolete.

As the holographic display pulsed to life and built an eerie representation of Caitlin's physiology, they discovered pretty quickly where part of the problem originated. The perfectly formed being was nestled in her lower abdomen and the thermal reading indicated that its temperature was at 220 degrees. Although what was most perplexing was instead of burning up, Caitlin was freezing. Literally.

Cisco pulled out his cellphone. "Ronnie, Caitlin needs you, ASAP."

Moments later, when Firestorm entered the building, Barry headed them off.

"We need you guys to split before we let you in there," Barry said firmly. He was only just starting to get mobility back in his arms, and they were extremely stiff and sore but he would tackle Ronnie if he had to, which would mean more downtime healing again but this was to protect everyone in the room. He knew from his own shock that seeing what was happening to Caitlin and the why, would set Ronnie off and an uncontrolled outburst from Firestorm could kill everyone.

Professor. Stein and Ronnie split without hesitation and both men moved by Barry and headed down the hall to where Felicity stood outside the doors to the clean room.

"Professor. Stein, if you'd like to come with me, I'll take you to the observation room where we're going over all the reports on Caitlin's condition. Ronnie, we're doing everything we can, and I'm having a leading geneticist from New York and a... well another specialist flown in. They'll both be here within the hour. Unless the Flash wants to make a couple pick ups?" She shot a nervous glance at Barry. This was his call. Did they risk exposing their connections to the Flash to more outsiders?

Ronnie moved straight to Caitlin and gripped her hand before anyone could warn him not to. "She's freezing?" He shot a dark look at Cisco. "Why aren't you trying to warm her up?"

Cisco punched a few buttons on the overhead panel and showed him the last scan. "Because of this. Her insides are cooking. Whatever happened to her during the particle accelerator exploding was dormant in her cells until now. Her ability is the only thing keeping her alive right now. Your kid doesn't have your cellular stability. And we can't get in there to fix it with a Tachyon device because yours was a prototype."

"Then use mine," Ronnie said without hesitation, already attempting to remove it from his chest.

"What Cisco is trying to say Ronald, is that if we were to try to bombard the fetus with radiation, we would have no idea what kind of affect it would have since its cells are in a rapid state of development. And that is not addressing the fact Caitlin's cells would also be affected and her meta-ability is currently the only thing keeping her alive. The Quantum Splicer would also be ineffective treatment since their condition is not a result of nuclear fusion."

"So what do we do then?" Ronnie cried feeling helpless.

Barry returned in full Flash uniform with both doctors in tow. "We let them do their jobs."

::: ::: :::

Their consulting geneticist, Elinore Stone, a renown research scientist in human biochemistry was rubbing her temples while going over the reports and samples of blood, tissue and amniotic fluid they had been able to draw. There was no precedent for the results she was seeing. Even with the samples from Professor. Stein, Ronnie and Firestorm, the comparison wasn't conclusive. The child had genetic material from all three of them, and yet their were still markers in her DNA that were completely foreign and not in any known database. Going over Caitlin's biochemistry readings and the child's she could only conclude that they were incompatible and it was a miracle that the pregnancy had remained viable this long.

Dr. Alan, Barry's father, was an OBYGYN. He had been out of practice for years due to his incarceration but he hadn't forgotten his training or his years of extensive practice before Nora's death. Also, Caitlin's situation would have sent a regular OB running for the hills adamant that their insurance just wouldn't cover the risk.

"Mr. Raymond, with Caitlin unable to give consent and as her fiancé, I need you to understand her condition and that of the unborn child's. There physiology is incompatible. I would liken it to a Rhesus risk pregnancy in which a mother with Rh- blood has developed antibodies to her babies Rh+ blood and those antibodies have crossed the placenta and are attacking the fetus' blood and vice versa. Caitlin's body can't sustain the temperature the fetus needs to survive. Normally I would offer the option to inject steroids to stimulate lung maturity and wait as long as we could to give the child a good chance of survival. But with Caitlin's rapidly deteriorating condition, I recommend that we don't wait. Or you will lose them both."

Ronnie looked up at the older man behind the observation window above. Being one person for over a year, sharing everything, having to make joint decisions and before that being nothing more than a passenger a long for the ride, he had come to respect and even rely on the other man's wisdom.

Martin met Ronnie's gaze, instinctively understanding what the younger man needed to hear even without him asking. "I never had any children but if it was Clarissa, I know how I would choose," he said through the loud speaker.

Ronnie turned to Dr. Allen. "How far along is she?"

"Development at this stage is subjective. The baby is measuring around 26 weeks." He lowered his voice and drew Ronnie closer to where Caitlin lay on her back. "We would have a more accurate timeframe if we knew her last cycle or the last time you had unprotected intercourse."

Ronnie shifted his eyes nervously and ran his hand over the back of his neck. "The first time was months ago. Caitlin had me use a condom, but it broke. At the time she said not to worry about it and that we'd deal with it if there was. We always wanted to have children but with all this; S.T.A.R Labs, Firestorm and black ops hunting us... It's not ideal. She took a blood test a couple days later, and called me when she had the results. It was negative. She got the implant after that because she said maybe my sperm were too strong for latex."

"Considering the changes to your atoms, it's anyone's guess as to what alterations it could have had to your genetic material. With that timeframe we can assume that the fetus could survive outside the womb and can be granted medical assisted care. I'll arrange to get a NICU crib brought over. Felicity?"

"Already done," she said through the intercom.

::: ::: :::

When they wheeled Caitlin out of surgery two hours later, Ronnie was pale and trembling. Cisco made to comfort him, but Ronnie waved him off. "No, I just... I need a moment." He retreated a ways down and dropping into one of the office chairs they'd brought around to wait in. His head in his hands, he was the picture of a man at the end of his rope.

Dr. Allen looked over the grave and expectant faces lining the corridor. "We have her stable. Baby is breathing on her own, but her body temperature isn't stabilising and the crib couldn't handle the fluctuations. The entire unit melted. Right now she's on a welding mat, Professor. Stein brought in. He's attempting to comfort her."

Felicity raised an eyebrow and looked to Barry. Barry shifted momentarily.

"He's singing," he said apropos with an awed look on his face. "The baby looks like she's glowing and he's just singing. He's pretty good."

"We haven't been able to stabilize Caitlin either. We even used protective methods we employ while handling liquid nitrogen. Freezing warts," he elaborated when he saw Cisco's confused expression. He was no doubt wondering what he'd ever need that for while delivering babies. "I was an intern once... Her saline is froze in its tubes and the heating bags we put over her upper body have shorted out."

"I could try friction," Barry offered.

"Barry," Felicity said in warning. He might be fast but he wasn't invincible. Touching Caitlin again guaranteed frostbite. "I could turn the temperature controls on full?"

Dr. Alan looked thoughtful. "Maybe we've been going about this wrong. Her body was reacting to heat like a virus. Even though the baby's out, maybe her meta ability can still sense the threat and is protecting Caitlin unconsciously. Perhaps we could try a cold room, or ice water."

Cisco looked horrified. "Wouldn't that kill her faster?"

Barry should his head. "Not if Dad's right. Remember when they tried shocking when I was in a coma? My heart was fine, the machines just couldn't pick it up. Normal treatments and procedures would have killed me. We've got to look at this another way. Dr. Wells is a murderer and a liar but he saved my life. And he's a smart man. I vote we try thinking outside the box on this."

"Barry's right," Ronnie said speaking up, his voice flat and broken. "Wells made this mess. The machine wasn't ready. We needed more testing. We needed more time. And if Caitlin or Riley dies, he's next," Ronnie growled coldly.

Barry watched his friend leave, and unconsciously reached for Felicity's hand. "Do you think it will work?"

Felicity clung to his hand and squeezed it tightly, hugging his arm. "It has too. As much as I want to see Harrison Wells face justice, we're not ready to confront him yet. It's scary enough that we're pretty sure he knows, we know. Ronnie going after him... We don't know what he'll do if his back's up against a wall."

Cisco stopped chewing on his thumb and looked like he had a eureka moment. "It will work guys and I think I just figure out a way we can trap Wells and stop him from killing us."

::: ::: :::

The ice bath worked. And even though it have been frightening to watch Caitlin's entire body turn blue and her hair white as the monitor revealed her body temperature dropping to match the water, Caitlin stabilized and as the water temperature slowly rose, so did her core temperature. Until she was finally within the lower range of normal.

She blinked and winced, gingerly touching the waterproof dressing that covered the stitches across her stomach. Her eyes widened and she stared at Cisco in horror. "The baby? What happened?"

Watching her friend struggling to stand, Felicity didn't even think. She put her arm around Caitlin and helped her up.

"Lills, wait." Barry saw it happen in slow motion. The slight flash of Cailtin's exposed skin and he tore Felicity away in time that all she felt was a ghosting of frost and a sudden chill.

Without the support, Caitlin swayed on her feet. Cisco put a fire retardant blanket around her shoulders and helped her out of the bath.

Felicity, shaken at what had just happened and her lapse in judgement, could only stare at Caitlin in silent apology. After a moment she found her voice, but it was full of anguish. "I'll... I'll see if they can bring her in."

Barry watched Felicity leave at almost a run. He understood his girlfriend's reaction. While it wasn't immediately obvious to an outsider, both women were very tactile people and they hugged and hand conversed a lot. Caitlin more so than Felicity but being around each other so much, their habits had rubbed off and now not being able to touch went against their natural instincts toward each other. He could also see how disoriented and hurt Caitlin was at his reaction.

"Why do you guys feel so hot and will someone please tell me what's going on?"

"You knew you were pregnant and didn't tell anyone?" Cisco interrupted.

Caitlin put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "I came to that conclusion when I started getting the mother of all cramps and it dawned on my that I hadn't had a period in two months, maybe more," she said with a frown. "With everything going on, it slipped my mind."

Cisco raised an eyebrow, his face incredulous. "For almost six months?"

Caitlin's eyes widened. "I was that pregnant?" She frowned hard, her forehead wrinkling and her lips tight. "I mean... I thought it was the binging. I might have gotten a little mopey with Ben and Jerry's a couple of times."

Felicity followed Professor. Stein in, who was carrying a small bundle. Caitlin stiffened, her eyes trained on the tiny pink arm poking out of the blanket. "Can I have her?"

Barry saw Professor. Stein express hesitation. It was so quick that no one else would have seen the look on his face but it was enough to put Barry on guard.

What happened next was heartbreaking but not unexpected.

The second they got within reaching distance, Caitlin's skin reacted and the baby started cry and flare.

"Professor. Stein," Felicity cried urgently.

Martin drew away from Caitlin and cradled the child close, singing to her softly.

Felicity moved to comfort her friend instinctively, when she saw Caitlin's already fragile composure shatter. But Caitlin waved her off. "Get out," she cried as she fell to her knees, her voice breaking on a sob. Caitlin threw her head back and screamed.

Barry managed to speed Felicity and Professor Stein out of the room and return for Cisco before his world went white.

When he came to, he found his father and Felicity hovering over him worriedly. "Is everyone okay? Where is Caitlin?" His eyes scanned the room. The entire place was covered in dangerous looking ice crystals.

"Caitlin is gone," Felicity whispered, her face streaked with tear tracks and the whites of her eyes red from crying. "Cisco has mild burns and moderate hypothermia. Anna is treating him and she said even though it looks bad, we were able to get him treatment straight away, so she's positive he will make a full recovery."

Barry's face dropped. "We have to find her. Felicity, she needs us."

Felicity lifted her chin, her eyes flashing with brittle anger. Did he think she hadn't tried to stop her? Plead with her? Beg? "Barry, she told us not to. She saw what she did to you and to Cisco and she said until she can control what's happening, she's dangerous. She said she's not giving up. She will figure it out. The other metas learned to control their abilities-"

"And if she can't? If her abilities are unstable like Bette's or Ronnie's?" he interjected, his voice just as heated. Disappointed in himself and Felicity that they'd let her strike out on her own. Caitlin had looked out for him, protected him and cared for him since he'd been struck by lightening. Even when she'd been kidnapped by Cold, her first instinct had been to protect him. To keep him from danger.

Felicity grabbed Barry and dragged him close when she saw the tears in his eyes. She felt his body stiffen and was worried he'd pull away until he sagged in her arms, and hugged her back. She sobbed into his neck in relief, a fresh wave of tears spilling from her eyes. "I gave her money, and a secure phone. She's smart and I made sure she understood that we love her. She is not alone and if she needs us, we will be there in a heartbeat."

"Absolutely," Barry said unequivocally. He looked up to see his dad watching them from behind Felicity.

His father nodded his approval. His pride plainly expressed on his face. The support of his understanding, fearless, brilliant girlfriend and the compassion, rock solid will to endure he saw in his father, the love he knew had from them both, Barry felt strong. Stronger than he had ever been at any other point in his life.

Strong enough to overcome whatever Wells decided to throw at him.

Strong enough to fight for his friends.


End file.
